{"nrhp_refnum":"79000324","name":"Monomoy Point Lighthouse","other_names":["Old Monomoy Lighthouse"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Monomoy Island","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chatham","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":41.55983209500005,"lon":-69.99377124289623,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A lighthouse complex on the southern end of Monomoy Island in the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, Chatham, Massachusetts, with a brick tower sheathed in cast iron, a two-story keeper's house and a generator house. The original light dates to 1823 and the present tower to about 1871.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the light played an important role in the navigational history of Cape Cod and the eastern coast, marking the point where ships turned the corner from the dangerous shoals into Nantucket Sound. It is also the only historic, major remaining structure on Monomoy Island. Its engineering and its link to exploration and settlement are cited.","narrative":"Monomoy Point Lighthouse sits at the southern tip of Monomoy Island, a barrier beach reachable only by boat, within a national wildlife refuge. The complex has a two-story Cape Cod style keeper's house, a brick tower sheathed in cast iron about thirty-five feet high, and a small brick generator house, linked by a covered walkway. A first light was begun in 1823 by James Gill, with the present tower dating to about 1871 after several rebuildings and refittings. The light guided sailors past the shoals off Monomoy Point, where vessels turned from Cape Cod waters toward Nantucket Sound. It is the only historic, major structure remaining on the island. Changing shoals, modern navigational aids and an improved Chatham light led to its decommissioning in 1923. The tower is sound but rusted and stripped of its lighting equipment, and vandalism and harsh weather have harmed it. No staff are stationed on the refuge to guard it.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":"Original light: James Gill (?); records also mention Cyrus Alger (cast iron lighthouse, 1849) and Pelham Bonney (keeper's house contract, 1849)","architectural_style":"Keeper's house built in a practical Cape Cod style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Decommissioned in 1923; marked unoccupied. The tower is structurally sound but rusted and stripped, vandalism and weather have caused damage, and protection is described as nearly impossible.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.917719-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/45/7891/63789145/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/79000324.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000324/8c21b6bdf7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000324/8c21b6bdf7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Zachary Cava;U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monomoy_Lighthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Zachary Cava;U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monomoy_Lighthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789145","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomoy_Point_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1945051"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/monomoy-point-lighthouse-79000324/"}